FORCES FIELD ANALYSIS

As well as Causal Mapping, Force Field Analysis is a technique used to remove natural boundaries to market growth and development.

“Force field analysis is a very successful technique, especially for quality management and continuous improvement processes. Basically, each situation is outlined in a certain way and to a certain extent, according to some forces that push into a certain direction and other forces that go into the opposite direction. The situation evolves into one direction or the other, depending on the prevailing force.
You can use the same approach to social and economic phenomena. For example, a market size depends on the forces pushing growth, i.e. driving forces and forces opposing growth, i.e. restraining forces.
Force field analysis shows this dynamic…
To obtain a significant growth, you just need to identify restraining forces and reduce or remove them. For instance, in the case of natural food products, market development opportunities are generated from the market natural development which can evolve autonomously if its growth restraints are put down. The forces pushing market growth correspond to health care, physical beauty, increased revenue, etc. On the contrary, the forces opposing market growth are the knowledge of food problems, the awareness of food and health relations, the price of natural food products and so on and so forth.
Therefore, market growth can be obtained by acting on both driving forces, which already push upwards, and restraining forces that can be supervised more directly.
If you can act on restraining forces, which prevent the phenomenon from liberating its pushing forces, you can obtain an impressive growth, with a limited effort (given a certain phenomenon size).” (Vicari, 1998)

In this excerpt Vicari (1998) maintains that force field analysis can be defined as a model to outline the conflict between the forces acting in a given situation.

This technique can be divided into the following steps:

1. Identify driving and restraining forces of a given situation;

2. Draw up a diagram (Figure 3-10) with:

- Current condition: represented as a horizontal line;
- Growth forces (or driving forces): represented as arrows that push the line upwards;
- Opposed forces (or restraining forces): represented as arrows that push the line downwards.

Figure 3-10: Force field analysis (Source: http://www.mycoted.com)

Arrow thickness signifies strength of impact of a force; arrow length shows how complicated it would be to adapt;

3. To obtain a reasonable growth, you should move the central line both upwards and downwards. In particular, try to:

- Find ways to strengthen or add positive forces (driving forces);
- Find ways to weaken or remove negative forces (restraining forces).

[Source: www.mycoted.com]

CLASS	B
PHASE	Predisposition
DESCRIPTION	As well as Causal Mapping, Force Field Analysis is a technique used to remove natural boundaries to market growth and development. “Force field analysis is a very successful technique, especially for quality management and continuous improvement processes. Basically, each situation is outlined in a certain way and to a certain extent, according to some forces that push into a certain direction and other forces that go into the opposite direction. The situation evolves into one direction or the other, depending on the prevailing force. You can use the same approach to social and economic phenomena. For example, a market size depends on the forces pushing growth, i.e. driving forces and forces opposing growth, i.e. restraining forces. Force field analysis shows this dynamic… To obtain a significant growth, you just need to identify restraining forces and reduce or remove them. For instance, in the case of natural food products, market development opportunities are generated from the market natural development which can evolve autonomously if its growth restraints are put down. The forces pushing market growth correspond to health care, physical beauty, increased revenue, etc. On the contrary, the forces opposing market growth are the knowledge of food problems, the awareness of food and health relations, the price of natural food products and so on and so forth. Therefore, market growth can be obtained by acting on both driving forces, which already push upwards, and restraining forces that can be supervised more directly. If you can act on restraining forces, which prevent the phenomenon from liberating its pushing forces, you can obtain an impressive growth, with a limited effort (given a certain phenomenon size).” (Vicari, 1998) In this excerpt Vicari (1998) maintains that force field analysis can be defined as a model to outline the conflict between the forces acting in a given situation. This technique can be divided into the following steps: 1. Identify driving and restraining forces of a given situation; 2. Draw up a diagram (Figure 3-10) with: - Current condition: represented as a horizontal line; - Growth forces (or driving forces): represented as arrows that push the line upwards; - Opposed forces (or restraining forces): represented as arrows that push the line downwards. Figure 3-10: Force field analysis (Source: http://www.mycoted.com) Arrow thickness signifies strength of impact of a force; arrow length shows how complicated it would be to adapt; 3. To obtain a reasonable growth, you should move the central line both upwards and downwards. In particular, try to: - Find ways to strengthen or add positive forces (driving forces); - Find ways to weaken or remove negative forces (restraining forces). [Source: www.mycoted.com]
CORRELATE TECHNIQUES	DO IT CAUSAL MAPPING
REFERENCES	Vicari S., La creatività dell'impresa. Tra caso e necessità, Milano, Etas Libri, 1998.